Khuda aabad rakhe…Lucknow phir bhi ganeemat hai
Nazar koi na koi acchi soorat aa hi jaati hai…
This is what upholds a member of the Nawabi Legacy of Avadh. Even after momentous changes both technically and ethically, Lucknow is far better than other cities which have completely adopted a newer selfhood.
We all have grown, played, enjoyed, loved and lived in this city of Nawabs and Kebabs, but have we ever given a thought to what Lucknow actually ‘is’ for us. We’d say it's the idyllic home to us or maybe we’d say it’s the fragrance of 'itra', the musical notes, the sound of dancers' trinkets, the sweetness of 'dussheri' mangoes, 'makhan-malai', the courtesy in words and of course the 'Mehman Nawazi'. However, it may sound strange, but Lucknow is, to many people much more than what meets our eyes.
The big question mark remains whether the city of Adab once known for its refinement in speech, entertainment, dresses and manners is still the same or a different state of affairs altogether. We asked a few modest Lucknowites and this is what they had to say.
Lucknow is...“Heaven to me”, said a worker at Cappuccino Blast who finds Delhi, Mumbai fake and Lucknow the only genuine city. Lucknow is ‘hard-work’ to a sweeper who silently cleans a pavement near the bustling Sahara Ganj Mall.
“We had so much of space to move in earlier days…now I feel like I am pushed along with the crowd”, expresses an old teacher who is now taught how to live life. “Joint families have almost vanished”, aches an eager father waiting for his kids to come back. Lucknow is ‘pain’ to him.
Lucknow is ‘Freedom’ to a Muslim girl who still looks around with surreptitious eyes, this time without a Burkhah. Lucknow is ‘Sumptuous’ for young men at Tunday Kebabi barely managing to speak while enjoying the paranthas. The city is ‘complete enjoyment’ to a set of school kids with faces dull with tensions of home-work. 2006 Lucknow is ‘Ostentatious’ to a Chikankaar who has seen the refashioning through his austere eyes. Lucknow is ‘marvellous architecture’ to a young couple who quietly etch their names within a heart shape on the monument.
Lucknow is ‘Secular’ to a woman who lost her husband in a communal riot whereas it is ‘Happening’ to a damsel at McDonalds who is unable to pronounce ‘Nazaakat’. The city in 2006 is viewed by its residents with different stances but what comes out unanimously is a saga of both complacency and anguish that this ethnic city has underwent. It is ‘Progress’ for a man who covers his ears when a car blowing horn passes by. It is ‘Convenience’ to an old worker who loves ‘autos’ more than the ‘tangas’ and a ‘Hassle’ for those who cling to a Sumo maxi cab almost falling down. Lucknow is ‘Noise’ to a famous businessman whose shop is a sad reflection of it's past glory.
“The malls and multiplexes are giving the city a new identity. It's no more the ennui of sitting at home”, chuckles a group of girls near IT College. It's ‘Technology’ for them. An old couple who doesn’t want to be a part of ‘Technology’ elaborate, “one is always open to attacks. If only youngsters feel what the other party is growing through, it will be a better place to live”. Lucknow is ‘Insecurity’ to them.
Lucknow is ‘Service’ to a kid who evades education to make chai for the Sahebs who come to his stall. It is ‘Good Education’ for another when English medium schools have begun to proliferate like mushrooms in muck. Lucknow is ‘Everything’ to a Nawab who is watching his city die with time. It is ‘Decency’ for a group of boys practicing Gandhigiri and ‘Recklessness’ for drunk brats who run their car over an old beggar.
Lucknow today is an amalgamation of both positive and negative elements that make up the LKO of today. ‘Subah-e-Benaras aur Shaam-e-Avadh’ is still meaningful to those who know how to enjoy changes. It is no more the soothing, relieving city for those who miss the shaded colonial bungalows at Dalibagh. For some, it is fast, progressive and on a move whereas for some it is an era lost amidst a sea of smoke-belching vehicles and clanging rickshaw bells. For few, it is jeans and skin tights vis-à-vis those who still prefer shalwar-kameez not forgetting the concealing Dupatta.
The city has changed considerably. The kulfis and gajak at Aminabad still taste the same, as does the chaat at Hazratganj. But the years have taken their toll and the tongas have been replaced by cycle-rickshaws weaving between two and four wheelers in the chaotic traffic. The station still stands untouched by time, the Bhulbhulaiya still spells romance, but the lions in the zoo have lost their voice and need to be set free, and the monkeys have long fled or been captured.
While the regal grandeur of Lucknow is still not a forgotten dream, we the youth should start bothering about our historic city. The place which has given us a lot from its treasures of mannerisms and values now wants something from us in return. No, it's not about reshaping Lucknow…it's all about changing ourselves so that we may, with pride say…
Lucknow hum pe fida…hum fida-e-lucknow!!!!
So the next time I ask what is Lucknow to you, don’t let me write an article full of oxymorons like these. Isliye…
Muskuraiye ki aap Lucknow mein hain
Gungunaiye ki aap Lucknow mein hain
Nazar koi na koi acchi soorat aa hi jaati hai…
This is what upholds a member of the Nawabi Legacy of Avadh. Even after momentous changes both technically and ethically, Lucknow is far better than other cities which have completely adopted a newer selfhood.
We all have grown, played, enjoyed, loved and lived in this city of Nawabs and Kebabs, but have we ever given a thought to what Lucknow actually ‘is’ for us. We’d say it's the idyllic home to us or maybe we’d say it’s the fragrance of 'itra', the musical notes, the sound of dancers' trinkets, the sweetness of 'dussheri' mangoes, 'makhan-malai', the courtesy in words and of course the 'Mehman Nawazi'. However, it may sound strange, but Lucknow is, to many people much more than what meets our eyes.
The big question mark remains whether the city of Adab once known for its refinement in speech, entertainment, dresses and manners is still the same or a different state of affairs altogether. We asked a few modest Lucknowites and this is what they had to say.
Lucknow is...“Heaven to me”, said a worker at Cappuccino Blast who finds Delhi, Mumbai fake and Lucknow the only genuine city. Lucknow is ‘hard-work’ to a sweeper who silently cleans a pavement near the bustling Sahara Ganj Mall.
“We had so much of space to move in earlier days…now I feel like I am pushed along with the crowd”, expresses an old teacher who is now taught how to live life. “Joint families have almost vanished”, aches an eager father waiting for his kids to come back. Lucknow is ‘pain’ to him.
Lucknow is ‘Freedom’ to a Muslim girl who still looks around with surreptitious eyes, this time without a Burkhah. Lucknow is ‘Sumptuous’ for young men at Tunday Kebabi barely managing to speak while enjoying the paranthas. The city is ‘complete enjoyment’ to a set of school kids with faces dull with tensions of home-work. 2006 Lucknow is ‘Ostentatious’ to a Chikankaar who has seen the refashioning through his austere eyes. Lucknow is ‘marvellous architecture’ to a young couple who quietly etch their names within a heart shape on the monument.
Lucknow is ‘Secular’ to a woman who lost her husband in a communal riot whereas it is ‘Happening’ to a damsel at McDonalds who is unable to pronounce ‘Nazaakat’. The city in 2006 is viewed by its residents with different stances but what comes out unanimously is a saga of both complacency and anguish that this ethnic city has underwent. It is ‘Progress’ for a man who covers his ears when a car blowing horn passes by. It is ‘Convenience’ to an old worker who loves ‘autos’ more than the ‘tangas’ and a ‘Hassle’ for those who cling to a Sumo maxi cab almost falling down. Lucknow is ‘Noise’ to a famous businessman whose shop is a sad reflection of it's past glory.
“The malls and multiplexes are giving the city a new identity. It's no more the ennui of sitting at home”, chuckles a group of girls near IT College. It's ‘Technology’ for them. An old couple who doesn’t want to be a part of ‘Technology’ elaborate, “one is always open to attacks. If only youngsters feel what the other party is growing through, it will be a better place to live”. Lucknow is ‘Insecurity’ to them.
Lucknow is ‘Service’ to a kid who evades education to make chai for the Sahebs who come to his stall. It is ‘Good Education’ for another when English medium schools have begun to proliferate like mushrooms in muck. Lucknow is ‘Everything’ to a Nawab who is watching his city die with time. It is ‘Decency’ for a group of boys practicing Gandhigiri and ‘Recklessness’ for drunk brats who run their car over an old beggar.
Lucknow today is an amalgamation of both positive and negative elements that make up the LKO of today. ‘Subah-e-Benaras aur Shaam-e-Avadh’ is still meaningful to those who know how to enjoy changes. It is no more the soothing, relieving city for those who miss the shaded colonial bungalows at Dalibagh. For some, it is fast, progressive and on a move whereas for some it is an era lost amidst a sea of smoke-belching vehicles and clanging rickshaw bells. For few, it is jeans and skin tights vis-à-vis those who still prefer shalwar-kameez not forgetting the concealing Dupatta.
The city has changed considerably. The kulfis and gajak at Aminabad still taste the same, as does the chaat at Hazratganj. But the years have taken their toll and the tongas have been replaced by cycle-rickshaws weaving between two and four wheelers in the chaotic traffic. The station still stands untouched by time, the Bhulbhulaiya still spells romance, but the lions in the zoo have lost their voice and need to be set free, and the monkeys have long fled or been captured.
While the regal grandeur of Lucknow is still not a forgotten dream, we the youth should start bothering about our historic city. The place which has given us a lot from its treasures of mannerisms and values now wants something from us in return. No, it's not about reshaping Lucknow…it's all about changing ourselves so that we may, with pride say…
Lucknow hum pe fida…hum fida-e-lucknow!!!!
So the next time I ask what is Lucknow to you, don’t let me write an article full of oxymorons like these. Isliye…
Muskuraiye ki aap Lucknow mein hain
Gungunaiye ki aap Lucknow mein hain
2 comments:
In these years of accumulated awe towards 'the art of word expression', I have finally found myself a young gentleman who has a conditioned, creative and compassionate (well cruel and c** if I go on with the c's too) mind.
Lucknow was home to prolific writers, this charming city has given and taken so much without asking or saying anything.. Kaveesh's efforts to capture the essence of this give and take bind me further with humara Lucknow... Excellent article Kaveesh, proud to be a friend and now an awake citizen.
Cheers,
Shinjini.
thanks a ton shin..you know ur appreciation fills oodles of enthusiasm n encouragement in me..
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